Location: The Nyakyusa live in the region of Tanzania. The Nyakyusian people's homeland stretches from North Rukuru River near Karonga in Malawi to the town of Mbeye in Tanzania. (http://www.2001pray.org/PeopleGroups/Nyakyusa.htm).
Language: Nyakyusa people speak Bantu. Even though Nyakyusians speak Bantu, they speak a different dialect. Their dialect is one of the few Bantu languages that does not make use of tones, and is also quite a bit different from surrounding languages in terms of vocabulary.
Daily Life: When Nyakyusa boys reach the ages 11-13 (puberty) they leave their homes and head their own ways into the forest and pick a suitable place to clear for a new village. The next group of adolescents would then have to make another settlement to keep growing. (The Life Cycle/ The Coming Age pg. 2298). This movement of young boys is the basis of new communities and allows for recognition of the sexual maturity into the wider society.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on the Nyakyusa.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the URL.
If you are Nyakyusa, your feedback is much appreciated.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mankind, Marshal Cavendish Limited inc., pg. 2298. 1990.
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9056560
Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life, Henry Holt and Company N.Y., V1-Africa.
Written by: Brandon Lutterman